Chapter 108: These Days Are Endlessly Beautiful

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: These Days Are Endlessly Beautiful

The Goddess had returned with a bountiful harvest this time. Everyone present was absolutely thrilled!

The Village Chief hurriedly rushed out of the tent. "I’ll go call Dashan and Er Gou over to help move the beef and pork."

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw the villagers clinging to their doorways, staring eagerly at the meeting room. They had all heard that the Goddess was back. Although she had told them not to wait for her every day and that she would have the Village Chief notify them if there was anything important, they couldn’t help but peek from their homes.

"Dashan, Er Gou, come here and help!" the Village Chief shouted loudly.

Zhou Dashan and Tian Ergou eagerly hurried out of their doors.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Dashan asked, "Brother Li, what do you need us to do?"

"Is it an edict from the Goddess?" Tian Ergou chimed in.

The Village Chief ushered the two men inside. Once indoors, he finally answered, "Stop guessing. The Goddess bought a cow and two pigs. You two are strong, so help Yun Xiu and me move the beef and pork outside to freeze. We have a stove in here, and the meat will start to smell if it sits for too long."

"Beef!" Zhou Dashan exclaimed loudly.

"Keep your voice down! You’ll disturb the Goddess!" The Village Chief gave him a light kick, though he completely understood Zhou Dashan’s shock. When he first heard that the Goddess had bought beef, he had also been frightened speechless for quite a while.

Tian Ergou was quieter, but he was far from calm, his mouth hanging wide open in disbelief.

That was beef!

Slaughtering cows and selling beef was a violation of the law. Offenders would be thrown into the government’s grand prison and whipped to death with horsewhips soaked in mustard water. Even if a cow died naturally, its meat wasn’t something poor mud-legged peasants like them from the remote mountains could ever taste. Such delicacies were usually divided among high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants. Beef was an incredibly rare, precious, and luxurious commodity!

The Goddess had actually bought beef? It was simply unbelievable! The two men were both utterly astounded.

The Village Chief and Yun Xiu each dragged a bag of beef outside. "Don’t just stand there looking silly. Hurry up and put the meat out in the snow. Do you still want to eat mutton soup or not?"

"We do, we do, we do!" They wanted it even in their dreams.

The two hastily dragged a large, transparent bag of beef outside. After making several trips back and forth to place all the meat in the snow, they finally carried the cow’s head out. "This cow head is incredibly heavy. It must weigh around four hundred catties."

Tian Ergou licked the corners of his mouth. "I wonder what beef tastes like."

"It’s definitely better than pork!" Zhou Dashan guessed.

The Village Chief truly felt that the village was no longer lacking in food and drink, and he was in an exceptionally good mood. Seeing the two chatting while carrying the cow head, he scolded them with a laugh, "What are you two muttering about? I never see you talk this much when you’re working normally."

Anyone could hear the joy in his voice.

Tian Ergou laughed. "HAHAHA! Brother Village Chief, Dashan and I were just talking about what beef tastes like."

Yun Zhen found an empty spot on the ground and had them cover the meat with another layer of snow. Hearing their conversation, she smiled and said, "If you want to know what beef tastes like, we’ll slice two large pieces into a pot tomorrow. Then we’ll cut the beef offal into strips and boil a pot of beef offal soup for everyone. You’ll know once you eat it."

The two men’s eyes burst with brilliant light.

Li Cuilan walked up to Zhou Dashan. "Let me tell you some good news. The Goddess said that from now on, we’ll be changing from two meals a day to three meals a day."

"Whoa!" Zhou Dashan and Tian Ergou grew even more excited.

Two meals a day kept them from starving, but three meals a day? Wouldn’t that mean their bellies would be round and stuffed after every single meal!

"I’ll definitely share this good news with everyone when I go out!" Tian Ergou beamed.

Li Cuilan continued, "There’s even better news! The Goddess said that from now on, the whole village will eat solid rice, and there will be meat in every meal!"

"Whoa!" The two let out another cry of shock.

This was simply too wonderful! Everyone was already thrilled just to have porridge. But to eat solid rice for every meal, and with meat included? Even wealthy families didn’t live as prosperously as their Taoyuan Village.

Li Cuilan went on to explain that the Goddess had also bought new clothes and toiletries for everyone.

The two men were so excited they could hardly contain themselves.

"A cow and two pigs, three meals of solid rice a day, meat at every meal, toiletries from the Immortal Realm, and new clothes for everyone... I can just imagine how ecstatic the others will be when they hear all this good news!" Zhou Dashan’s eyes burned with fervor.

"I can’t wait to bring this good news to everyone," Tian Ergou said, his eyes crinkling into joyful slits.

Zhou Dashan urged him, "Let’s finish the work first. Once we’re done, we get to eat mutton soup. I heard Yun Xiu say that after the mutton soup, there’s even sliced dough flakes soaked in the broth."

It consisted of dough flakes rolled from white flour, boiled until cooked, and then topped with a scoop or two of mutton broth mixed with meat scraps. The mutton broth was seasoned with star anise, giving it a rich, golden-red sheen. The mere thought of it made the two men drool.

"Father, hand these sponge cakes out to everyone tomorrow. Give them five each, and save the rest for Mother and Xiaobao," Yun Zhen said. She pulled several sponge cakes from a bag and distributed them to everyone present.

As soon as Xiaobao received a cake, she shoved it directly into her mouth. She had smelled its sweet aroma earlier but wasn’t sure what it was. Since her mother was talking to the Village Chief, she hadn’t dared to interrupt. The moment she got her hands on the sponge cake, she eagerly took a massive bite, her large, grape-like eyes instantly turning bright and watery as she looked at her grandparents.

"So yummy! Grandpa, Grandma, eat!" Xiaobao said, holding up the half-eaten cake.

"Good girl, Xiaobao," Yun Duo said, stroking her granddaughter’s head.

Li Cuilan cradled the sponge cake in her hands. "Are these pastries from the Immortal Realm? I can smell the aroma before even taking a bite."

"It smells amazing! My son is definitely going to love this." Tian Ergou silently slipped the sponge cake into his pocket, planning to take it back for his son.

"Uncle Tian, you should eat it now. I’ll have my father give everyone five each tomorrow. Your son won’t be left out," Yun Zhen said.

Since the Goddess herself had spoken, Tian Ergou took the sponge cake back out. "I’ll eat one first, then. I’ll save the ones I get tomorrow for my son."

Yun Duo took a bite. "It’s so fragrant! So soft and sweet. I can taste the richness of the oil and the aroma of the eggs. It’s perfectly fluffy and doesn’t stick to my teeth at all."

"The immortals in the Immortal Realm are truly incredible to be able to make such delicious pastries." After Zhou Dashan finished eating, he didn’t forget to lick clean the fingers that had held the cake.

Biting into his sponge cake, the Village Chief let out a sigh of pure contentment. "These days couldn’t possibly get any better!"

"Goddess, all the items have been stored away. Tomorrow, we’ll pitch the two tents. Just as you instructed, one will be the new kitchen and the other will be a warehouse. It’s getting late now, so let’s have some mutton soup first," the Village Chief said to Yun Zhen after finishing his sponge cake.

Yun Xiu smiled. "Zhen Niang, not only did we make a massive pot of mutton soup, but we also cooked a large pot of dough flakes and steamed several small pots of rice. After drinking the mutton soup, everyone can have a bowl of dough flakes soaked in the broth, or rice drenched in it. I guarantee everyone will eat until they’re completely stuffed."

The Village Chief sighed. "It’s just too cold outside. Otherwise, we could light a bonfire and eat our mutton soup while warming ourselves by the flames. It would be so lively to have a huge crowd eating together. Unfortunately, the snow would extinguish any fire we start."

Yun Zhen smiled and said, "It’s the same if everyone eats the mutton soup in their own tents. Once the snow stops, we can build a fire outside, and then everyone can gather around it to eat together."

Yun Xiu said, "Let’s call everyone out to eat. Zhen Niang, you, your mother, and Xiaobao head back to your tent first. Once the food is ready, I’ll bring it over to you."

Yun Zhen headed to her own tent.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH! The flames in the stove roared loudly. The interior was as warm as spring, having been swept clean every day.

Yun Xiu soon brought over three bowls overflowing with chunks of mutton.

The mutton soup had a rich golden-red color, and its fragrant aroma, mixed with a faint gamey scent, wafted through the air. Yun Zhen took a sip and immediately felt a cozy warmth spread throughout her body.

So this was the taste of mutton. It wasn’t as tender and smooth as chicken, nor was it as rich and oily as pork; instead, it carried a mellow, hearty warmth.